Best Chandeliers and Pendants for a Dining Room: 7 Picks and Sizing Rules
A dining room light hangs at eye level for everyone at the table, so it has two jobs: light the food and faces kindly, and look good from every chair. A chandelier is not the only answer. In Nordic homes the table is just as often lit by one sculptural pendant or a cluster of glass. These are seven picks from our range, followed by the sizing and height rules.
Quick answer
- Most sculptural: Circa gold ring pendant.
- Chandelier with plants: Arbor iron planter chandelier.
- Long table: Cluster glass globe pendant with three or four heads.
- Warmest light: Timber in amber glass.
Size and height rules
Width: choose a fixture roughly one half to two thirds of the table width; for a long table, use a linear fixture or two pendants. Height: hang the bottom of the fixture about 70 to 85 cm (28 to 34 in) above the tabletop. See pendant height over a dining table and the size guide.
Our 7 picks
1. Circa Gold Ring Pendant Light
Gold rings that rotate independently: set them flat for a clean circle, or turn them for a three-dimensional form that throws shadows onto the walls. The three-ring version holds its own over a large table.
Best for: modern dining rooms with height to fill.
2. Arbor Iron Planter Chandelier
An open iron frame with space for plants between the lights. Over a few months trailing plants fill in and the fixture softens into something living. Black or white.
Best for: dining rooms with good daylight and a love of plants.
3. Terra Planter Chandelier
Frosted glass globes and a growing pot on one frame. The 1 Ball 1 Pot version is the one most people want over a dining table, where the plant gets daylight and the frosted glass keeps the light soft.
Best for: smaller dining rooms and kitchen-diners.
4. Cluster Glass Globe Pendant
One to four clear globes from a single ceiling point. Three or four heads spread several pools of light along a table from one connection, with no rewiring.
Best for: long and rectangular tables.
5. Timber Wood & Glass Pendant
A turned wood collar with a blown glass shade in three profiles and clear, amber or smoked glass. Amber turns the light gold, which is what a dining table wants on a dark evening.
Best for: Scandinavian dining rooms with wood tables.
6. Patina Brass Bowl Pendant
A hand-finished brass bowl in verdigris, pistachio, zinc, copper or petrol blue, several with a rose-gold interior that warms the light. No two shades match exactly.
Best for: rooms that want one characterful, slightly vintage piece.
7. Quarry Marble Pendant Light
Real marble with copper fittings; every shade has its own veining. Marble is heavy, so check the ceiling fixing first.
Best for: stone and natural-material interiors.
Browse all chandeliers, pendant lights or glass pendants.
Frequently asked questions
What size chandelier do I need for a dining table?
As a guide, about one half to two thirds of the table width. For a 90 cm (36 in) wide table, that is roughly 45 to 60 cm (18 to 24 in).
How high should a chandelier hang over a dining table?
About 70 to 85 cm (28 to 34 in) from the tabletop to the bottom of the fixture in a room with a standard ceiling. Add a few centimetres per extra 30 cm of ceiling height.
Chandelier or pendant over a dining table?
Either works. A chandelier or multi-head fixture suits a large or long table; a single sculptural pendant suits a round or square table.
Should dining room lights be dimmable?
Yes, if possible. Dimming lets the same light work for homework at four o'clock and dinner at eight.
Every Lumenorth order ships free worldwide, with delivery in 3 to 14 business days, and you have 30 days to return anything that does not suit the room.